Hologram is a publishing project by Express Media. We will be publishing two novella-length books by Australian writers under 30. The finished books will be released in early 2014.

EXPLAIN MORE PLEASE

Above everything else, we want to put more great books into the world. Hologram is the step between a young writer appearing in journals and publishing a full-length manuscript. We’re making a place for writing that’s too long, too short or too weird to go elsewhere.

Hologram is about optimism. At the start of A New Hope Princess Leia is just a hologram, but all this crazy stuff happens because of what she says. We want books to be like that! Just because something isn’t “real” doesn’t mean it can’t mess with reality. Tupac’s hologram was one of the best pieces of memoir in ages. Nothing beats the brain limbo of Star Trek‘s Holodeck, the keyfabe friends of wrestling, the replicants of Blade Runner, the ultra creepiness of Real Dolls, the prospect of 3D printing a better life for yourself.

Hologram is for adventure, damage, cathexis, danger, having a crush, vernacular, making important things fun, making fun things important, bright colours, fakery, being a wave and a particle at the same time, being deeply unironic, being way too ambitious for your own good.

OKAY BUT WHO EXACTLY IS DOING THIS?

Hologram is made possible through the Australia Council for the Arts’ Early Career Residencies program.

The books will be published and edited by Johannes Jakob, supported by Express Media and a range of mentors in the publishing industry.